Opal's Siege
by SerpentineAthena
Summary: Opal has escaped from prison and is attacking Fowl Manor, but she will soon try to take over the entire world...  Set after TAC and the spoiler chapters for TLG. The main character is my OC.
1. Chapter 1  An Odd Beginning

Chapter One

I was out for a walk when I heard a woman pronounce, "Heat detected, civilian within perimeter. Will interrogate, possibly mesmerize. Assistance requested, from base, time stop requested."

Another voice came through the thicket of trees. "LEP Commander Trouble Kelp. Repeat status, Major, over. Time stop being approved, as the city is in chaos. We've got LEP coming in every available shuttle and pod."

"Thanks, Trouble - Commander. Approaching civilian, may know whereabouts of Koboi."

"Keep your weapon out, Major. We don't want any trouble."

The woman flickered into existence just ten feet in front of me. She was tiny and slender, wearing a strange green suit with wings like an electronic butterfly. In her hands was a weapon that flickered green along its length. She smiled apologetically as she lowered her weapon. "I'm Captain Holly Short of the LEP. I'm going to ask you a few questions…"

I managed to stay in control of myself while she told me about an escaped convict- Opal Koboi. "She's been released, in order to save her past self and thousands of innocent lives. Have you seen her?"

Holly seemed as rattled as I was- a façade of cool military professionalism but absolute and total fear. I had a feeling that this Opal was far worse than she'd told me- and Holly had briefly mentioned a murder.

"No, I haven't seen her. Are you with the poli…" I trailed off as Holly pulled her weapon back out of its sheath, flared up her wings, and zoomed away, flickering into invisibility.

For a minute I stood there, completely detached and confused, staring at the spot where Holly had disappeared. I heard footsteps behind me as a boy ran up behind me. His black suit was impeccable, but his black hair was windblown and he was panting. "Have… seen? Fairy?" he asked, and then flopped down onto the bench by the walking path.

Little people with dresses and big smiles sitting on flowers? I took a deep breath. "No, I've never seen a fairy."

He smiled bitterly, and took a few minutes to breathe. Pushing himself up to an upright position, he laced his hands together like a miniature psychologist and said, "Not little people sitting on flowers. This fairy is armed and she's dangerous." Seeing my look of alarm, he continued , "but she's a friend. She's about three feet tall, with a suit with wings, and she has a gun." He had Holly's façade of confidence, but I could tell that he was crumbling. Wait, Holly…

"She was here about five minutes ago, and she went that way… towards the houses… Holly Short, right?"

The boy stood up. "Yes, Holly Short. Thank you." He walked off.

I ran after him. "Wait! She says that there's a murderer on the loose, and she's trying to track her down!"

He turned. "I know. Opal is hunting me."

He walked on, and I ran to catch up. "Wait, why is Opal hunting you? What does she want? You know Holly?"

He sighed and didn't bother listening to my rapid-fire questioning. "You'd better come with me."

We ran several blocks until we reached his vehicle. The huge man sitting in the driver's seat didn't ask what I was doing there, only saying in a worried tone, "Artemis, where's Holly?"

The boy- Artemis- looked at the man and said, "Butler, I don't know. She's trying to track Opal, but she hasn't had any more luck than us- just a few burning buildings and trashed cars. We might need to go into siege so the LEP can protect the civilians. If we distract Opal, we can save lives."

"If we're going into siege, we should evacuate the manor- the maid and the nanny must go. And her- she can't come either." The man Butler gestured to me.

"Butler, she isn't coming. She just needs to see Holly." Artemis and Butler exchanged a knowing glance.

I was getting worried, and the fact that Butler was pulling a gun out of a gym bag didn't help. I tried to stay calm. "Sorry, but why do I need to see Holly, and what's the gun for?"

"Protection," the man grunted, and then turned the car on, promptly accelerating and taking a turn on two wheels. He roared through the housing division, one hand on the steering wheel, the other holding the tiny fairy rifle. "If you haven't noticed, we have a bit of a problem here."

Within five minutes, we were downtown, watching plumes of fire rise from the burning warehouse several blocks away. A frazzled policeman sprinted over. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Butler didn't bat an eye. "I'm sorry, but I can't, officer. I'm looking for an escaped convict." He showed the officer a card and a badge. "I'm a plainclothesman."

The officer nodded, and moved aside to let us pass.

"You're an officer, Butler?"

He kept his eyes on the road, peering through the smoke. "No, it's my cover."

Butler pulled out a pair of sunglasses and turned to Artemis.

"Opal won't have bothered blocking signals here. She has her base set up nearby, undoubtedly in an undetectable cham-pod. Communication with her mercenaries is necessary," Artemis said. "Keep the sunglasses on and protect us if need be."

Once Butler had jumped out of the vehicle and hoisted his rifle, Artemis swivelled the ring he was wearing and pressed some cleverly hidden button. He put his hand to his ear, like a child talking on an imaginary phone.

"Holly," he said. "Where are you?" He listened for a minute then said "Yes, a girl who knows too much."

He hung up, then said to me, "Holly will be here soon."

Within moments, Butler was opening the door, and Holly climbed in. She turned to me, and her voice was different than it had been before. Like a choir.

"Take off your glasses, and look into my eyes." I complied.

"None of this has happened. Once we are done talking, you will fall asleep and forget our conversation and what happened earlier."

I blinked. "How are you going to do that? An amnesiac mixed with a tranquilizer?"

Holly looked at me. "Your will is mine."

"Are you trying to hypnotize me?" I asked, completely bemused.

"Human, your will is m…"

Artemis interrupted. "Holly, I would guess that she is immune to the mesmer. Her corneas may be deformed, and act as reflective lenses. Hence her vision problem." He sighed. "Since her memory can't be modified, and we have no time left for a selective wipe, she's going to have to come along."


	2. Chapter 2

So, I forgot to throw in the author's note in the first chapter :D How dumb of me, but I'm new here. This is my first ever fanfiction, and I've written up to Chapter 10 and posted it on AFC. It's going to get quite long, possibly twenty chapters or so.

Thanks to Rocket Axxonu for being my "literary advisor" or "editor"!

Anyway, this is supposed to come after The Atlantis Complex, and after the spoiler chapters for The Last Guardian released by Mr. Colfer. It's basically what I don't think will happen at all in The Last Guardian, but would like! A lot.

The italicizing means that it's Artemis's point of view.

Chapter 2

We drove out of the city for about an hour until we reached a sprawling manor house. Butler pulled into the driveway and let Artemis and I out. He handed Artemis a remote- presumably for the security system- and drove off.

Artemis opened the door and let me in. He was obviously more at ease in his own home, but his manner was still formal. "Once Butler gets back we can have dinner, and we can explain what exactly is happening."

Once Butler returned, Artemis showed me into the dining hall, where Butler set three places at the wooden table. As Butler vanished, presumably to the kitchen, Artemis sat down next to me. He started by explaining how he found out about fairies, and the different types. Then his explanation became more interesting.

"My father was missing in Russia, confirmed dead, but I suspected Mafiya involvement. Our funds were running out and I needed more. I could not let my father die. I made first contact with the fairies, and they offered me a deal- they would stop time on the estate. If I managed to elude all of their attempts to kill me, I could have a metric tonne of gold. They lost, and I won."

He talked his way through all of his previous adventures with the fairies through dinner, and well into the night. Once he finished, Butler showed me to one of the guest bedrooms.

_Artemis had told her about all of his fairy dealings, in detail and in truth. Except for one. He found that the Atlantis Complex had softened him and made him more concerned about what others might think. Artemis Fowl was no longer a criminal mastermind, he was a juvenile genius. But he was still a good liar with a guilt problem. And she seemed smart enough to find out what exactly had happened, and how he had twisted the truth. She would hate him after- he pushed the thought out of his mind. 'We are going into siege,' he chided himself. 'Stay detached.'_

I slept well, but awoke to the sound of yelling.

"How could you, Artemis? This is our home!"

Artemis's voice came through the thick wood of my door. "I've told you already, if you stay you will be in danger. I can't risk that!"

A woman's muffled voice sadly said something, and Artemis responded. The talk went on and on, and I fell slowly back to sleep.

_Artemis's mother had insisted that the family would stay. An entire LEPretrieval squad was coming, with the specific purpose of guarding the Fowls. Truth be told, Artemis was relieved. His family might have been in greater danger if they had left the manor…_

_He still had moments where he regretted bringing the girl along. Now that he allowed himself time to think, he truly didn't understand why he had chosen to bring her. She could be no help- but the mind-wiping equipment and the tecchies would be too busy with the regular humans and the chaos going on in the city._

_He realized that he didn't even know her name._

I woke up and saw that there was breakfast waiting on the table in my quarters, along with clothes in the closet. Once I was ready, I navigated my way to the dining room.

Butler was waiting for me.

"We are preparing for a siege. Underground would be more convenient but we can't risk it. Opal has a huge supply of explosives and she could destroy all of Haven. Aboveground we have several advantages over the fairies- like sunlight. It makes their magic and the Neutrino beams have less effect. We expect Opal will have a full mercenary army, and they will be fully armed."

His military style of explaining was quick, crisp, and to the point, but he hadn't told me exactly what I wanted to know.

"Why exactly is Opal attacking?"

Butler sighed. "She is a murdering psychopath. She wants revenge. Artemis is reviewing her motives in the study."

Butler stood up, unfolding to his massive height. "Holly is taking a break from policing the city. Artemis wants you to meet him in the library."

_Artemis was extremely dissatisfied with how the siege was going. Truthfully, it was all a ploy to draw Opal's attention away from the civilians and to make her forget the one all-important detail- but he couldn't dwell on that. The LEP were going to guard the manor, but Artemis and his companions were going to stay inside- like bait. No1 had promised magical protection and shielding, but Artemis had a nagging feeling that there was a hole in his otherwise perfect plan…_

Butler accompanied me to the study. Holly hovered nearby as Artemis sat at a wooden desk, typing.

"You're here. Holly, you've met, I've heard…?"

Holly landed and put her wings away. "We've met." She extended a hand. "Holly Short."

I nodded. "Thalia Peterson." We shook.

Artemis stood. "Enough with the pleasantries. We are awaiting LEP backup, technical assistance, and Opal.

"To refresh: Opal the younger was taken prisoner by two gnomes who threatened to kill her unless we released her older self. We released her. She was given three days in which to get away and hide, or the gnomes would kill Opal the younger.

"She disappeared off of the map. We can assume that she has had her seeker-sleeper removed. Opal blue-rinsed an abandoned factory and set it on fire, alerting us to her presence by the trace amounts of solinium-2. Her motives are unknown, but she may have destroyed the factory out of rage, delusion, or a bluff alerting the LEP to her whereabouts.

"Opal has been contacting mercenaries, as stealth shuttles have been detected (judging by the absence of gases) in the chutes, and all of them are heading in our approximate direction.

"We are going under siege, and expecting Opal to attack us with her mercenaries within five days. The LEP are giving us full backing, in an attempt to catch Opal and minimize casualties."

I turned to Artemis. "But what about Opal's past self and the gnomes?"

Artemis sighed. "That little problem is causing a lot of turmoil among the LEP. They have split in two- one half wants to apprehend Opal the younger so she and Haven are safe, and the other are loyal to our cause. They have disappeared completely, without a trace."

"But there are also about fifty officers guarding Haven. The city has been locked off from everything else, as a security measure. We know that Opal could find a way to get by, but we just want to make it harder for her, to give us some extra time. LEP communications are the only things going in or out of the city," Holly stated.

Artemis nodded. "No1, Foaly, and the officers will be here in about ten minutes."

_Artemis was exhausted. He hadn't slept for the last three days, too busy theorizing and plotting to rest. The disappearance of Opal the younger was suspicious, but at least the missing pixie was alive. He found himself focussing on little details, like the paintings on the walls and Thalia's reddish brown hair. 'A fatigued juvenile genius is worse than no genius at all. I need rest,' Artemis thought. But he insisted on staying awake until Foaly and No1 arrived. The security of the manor must be improved, and he had some specifications to mention. _

_But he couldn't get Thalia out of his head. He knew that he was placing her in terrible danger, and trusting someone he barely knew could be disastrous. But he had a feeling that she would play an important role. He would have to wait and see what it was._

So, how is it? Please read and review; I'd like to see what you think of it. Trust me, the story gets better!


	3. Chapter 3

I'm going to clarify a bit here- this fanfiction has already been written up to Chapter 10 and published on AFC. I haven't edited the early chapters for a while, and Thalia's character shows more depth as the story continues. _But_ I'm still not happy with the way she acts in Chapter 1, so I'm going to edit a bit. I'm also going to throw in a bit more of a background eventually.

But anyway, here is the latest (not really, but it's the latest chapter here) chapter!

Chapter 3

I waited in the entryway for our allies to arrive. When they did, I couldn't help feeling disappointed- just a little boy wearing long, flowered robes and a tall, scruffy man.

I turned to Artemis. "Are these really Foaly and No1?"

The man let out a strange laugh, not unlike a whinny. As he stepped into the manor, he evaporated and in his place was a centaur. The little boy turned into a strange creature that I recognized as a demon from the pictures Artemis had shown me.

No1 stared at me with protuberant eyes the same colour as the sparks Holly had used to heal a scratch on my arm. "I like her," he pronounced to Artemis. "Her hair is curly like Minerva's, but she smiles nicely. You should kiss her, Artemis!"

Artemis stared at the little warlock demon. "Hurkk…"

The little demon embarked on a speech about the word "hurkk," and what Artemis may have meant by it. I stared – this crazy little being with a penchant for synonyms was a powerful warlock? I understood the full extent of his powers when he asked about protection for the manor.

"You want protection like this?" he said, encased in a glowing blue sphere.

Artemis recovered from the indignity of saying "hurkk" soon enough. He and the fairies went to the library with Butler and Holly to discuss the security, so I went back to my quarters. On the way, I bumped into a blonde girl with glitter green eyeshadow. She looked at me a bit strangely and continued on her way, presumably to the library.

I soon found that my quarters had been invaded. A scruffy little man sat at the kitchen table, eating the contents of my refrigerator. "Arkhh, oowoo?" he mumbled, chewing something. He cleared his throat. "And who are you?"

"Thalia Peterson. I'm just here for…" I trailed off. What was I here for? Why was it necessary that I stay here? I hadn't been through anything like this before; I couldn't help in any way.

The little man looked at me strangely as I burst into tears. He left the room, saying something along the lines of "Well, this is my room when I stay here, but I guess I'll just find another one..."

I felt horrible. I had intruded on Artemis's hospitality, kicked the little scruffy man out of his room… wait, Artemis's hospitality. He had insisted that I come along… for what? To wait for the mind wipe? If so, why had he told me his entire plan, about the fairies, about the siege, about his life? Why did a complete stranger seem to trust me? Was I just along for the ride, a bystander that was of no significance to the overall plan?

I realized that I was being a hypocrite. I had trusted complete strangers. I was staying in their house!

I calmed down and dried my tears. I decided to leave the manor, and realized for the first time that my parents would be worried sick.

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_Artemis was fatigued, but satisfied. The combined actions of No1 and Foaly made it so that nobody could enter the manor without express permission, and they were scanned with dozens of different types of cameras for weaponry. The LEP squad assigned to the Fowls had been given more advanced weaponry, and the Fowls were now contained within one wing of the house. Artemis's mother had protested, but given up when she realized that being underfoot while a military operation was going on was unwise._

_But he was still worried. The LEP were having difficulty working as a result of the different points of view on Opal. LEPretrieval was in turmoil, as Retrieval One was against the siege and wanted to track down Opal the younger. The work of its members wasn't up to their usual standards. Several fights had broken out, and rumours of police strikes were circulating._

_And he was worried about Thalia. If she had second thoughts about staying, left the manor, and Opal found her… the results could be catastrophic. He would find her right away. _

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I picked up the phone and dialed a taxi service. My ride would be pulling up to the Fowl garage in an hour, and once anybody thought to look for me I would be gone. They would have no way to track me- they didn't know where I lived or anything but my name. I had told them nothing. My parents would be told a lie explaining my disappearance, and my life would go on normally.

Once the hour was up, I put on my shoes and cardigan, walking out to the Fowl garage without looking back.

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_Artemis walked to her quarters, but she was gone. Her bed was made, everything left tidy, and on the chair in the living room was the set of Juliet's outgrown clothes that Thalia had worn._

"_D'Arvit," he swore, but he wasn't really angry, just worried. He realized that it wasn't the outcome of the siege that he was worried about at the moment, it was Thalia._

_Artemis ran through the manor and out the front door. He could see her walking through the gardens, past the hedgerows and the rosebushes._

_He ran to her, and she ran away, through the winding paths and gardens. Finally she stopped on the Japanese bridge, and he could see that she was crying._

_Artemis did the only thing he could- he held her. Thalia shook, tear tracks running down her face, her red-brown hair falling out of the neat ponytail she had put it in. After what had seemed like an eternity, she stopped. Artemis let her go gently, and she stood up, but then slumped onto the wooden bridge as if staring at the water lilies. He felt his face burn._

_Thalia sniffled, and Artemis looked at the ground. He fumbled in his pocket with unsure fingers, finding his freshly washed handkerchief. Artemis put his hand on her shoulder and she stood._

_Artemis did the only thing he could. He awkwardly handed her the handkerchief._

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I looked down at the ground, reaching out a hand to take Artemis's handkerchief. I was afraid that he would leave me, but he stayed, standing on the bridge next to me.

Taking a shuddering breath, I wiped the tears off of my face.

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_After several minutes, she spoke. "I'm sorry. I just… couldn't stand it. Feeling useless… not knowing why I'm here… just standing by while you talk about strategy and security… I wasn't contributing…" She was crying again, but silently, tears running down her face as she tried to speak._

_Artemis took her hand. "Shh. It's okay." They stood on the bridge, and slowly her tears stopped._

"_I… I felt… guilty, running off. My parents must be…"_

_Artemis smiled sadly. "When I disappeared, my parents were worried sick. I was going to talk to you after the meeting, get Holly to mesmerize them, but you were gone."_

_Artemis felt her hand in his. He looked at Thalia, and slowly turned towards the manor. "Let's get you inside."_

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Artemis held my hand all the way back to the manor. Once we were inside, he let my hand go, saying "Once you feel better, would you mind a walk?"

"I'd like that."

I walked to my quarters, feeling conspicuous with my red eyes and tearstained face, but thankfully nobody saw me.

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_Artemis sat in the foyer, wondering if Thalia would come. She did, finally, and they silently walked to the garden together. Thalia spoke, just as Artemis was about to comment on the rose arbor they had just walked under._

"_I'm not fragile, you know. The last two days just sort of… overwhelmed me; the reality of it just all crashed on me at once. I'd just accepted the existence of fairies without a doubt; I was living in the house of somebody I didn't know and they were going under siege! I can't just stand by; I need to feel like I'm actually doing something. And my parents, I can't just leave them without saying goodbye. I felt like there was something wrong with me, forgetting about them like that."_

_He could tell that he had completely earned her trust. She felt completely safe. Before he could stop himself, the words came tumbling out, like the water in the stream that they had just walked past._

"_When I told you about my adventures, I… I twisted the truth a bit…"_

_He told her the truth. When he was finished, Thalia looked him in the eyes. She tried to say something, but trailed off because there was a burly gnome behind her with a knife._

Is it OK? I know Thalia's character and this chapter aren't the greatest, but I'm editing them.


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